Summer Break Three: Prophecy Revealed
by KievaLynn
Summary: Kieva Lynn's Season Three Sequel. Guardians of the Multiverse Prequel. Third in a series of one-shots. Susan has big news for Will, who is then prompted to reveal the vision she was given by Xan Jin to the other Guardians.


Standard Disclaimer: I do not own W.I.T.C.H., Final Fantasy, or any of their related characters/concepts, nor any other properties whose characters/concepts appear in this story. This is a work of fan fiction.

Author's Note: This is the third in a series of one-shots which take place after the events of "Kieva Lynn's Season Three" and before the events of my next major W.I.T.C.H. story, the Final Fantasy Seven crossover "Guardians of the Multiverse." These tales will all take place in the summer break between the guardians' eighth and ninth grade, and will serve to fill loose ends left over from the previous story and provide foreshadowing for the next. In this chapter, big news from Susan leads Will to tell the other Guardians about the vision she was given by Xan Jin. (See Kieva Lynn's Season Three, Episode seventeen for the original story of that vision.)

Summer Break Three: "Prophecy Revealed"

OOOOOOO

Heatherfield. Will Vandom was in a cheerful mood as she walked through the front doors of her family's apartment building and pressed the elevator call button. And why wouldn't she be cheerful? A fun date with Matt on as perfect a summer day as one could ever hope for, no dangers requiring the Guardian's services in over three weeks, and the first day of school still a full month away. Also worth being happy about was the state of affairs between Will and her mother. Ever since Susan had found out the truth (or at least, since she had adjusted to it) mother and daughter had been managing a far more positive relationship than they had ever experienced before.

"Life is good." Will thought to herself with a contented sigh. She boarded the elevator and rode to her floor, then walked down the short hallway and let herself in.

Susan Vandom was waiting for her on the couch. "Will, I need a few minutes of your time." She said.

Will nodded and sat next to Susan. "Is something wrong? Where's Dean?"

"Not home from the convention yet." Susan sighed. "In fact, he doesn't even know what I'm going to tell you yet… But then, they always say the man is the last one to know…"

"Last one to know what? Mom what's wrong?" Will asked.

Susan smiled, reached over and took both of Will's hands. "Will nothing's wrong, it's not like that at all. I just, well… Will, I'm pregnant."

Will's mouth dropped open. "You, you're WHAT!? Are you sure?"

"Yes. I didn't tell anyone at first, those home tests can be wrong after all, but I saw the doctor today and it's official. In about another seven months you're going to be a big sister."

"Wow." Will said. "I'm not sure if I'm ready for that. Though if Irma were here I'm sure she'd say something about the kid not being ready for me…"

Susan laughed. "Yeah, that sounds like Irma alright."

"I think she'd be right though." Will said. "I mean, you've been feeling under the weather for weeks now. I noticed, but I never put two and two together. I just thought you had some summer flu or something."

"You're still young and you've never been around a pregnant woman until now Will." Susan said. "We're going to have a lot to do though. Among other things we'll need to find a bigger place to live."

"Oh." Will said. "Yeah there's no more room here."

"Sorry Will." Susan said. "I know you like it here. But we shouldn't have to move far, hopefully just a few miles. We'll stay close enough to keep you at Sheffield."

"That's good." Will nodded. She thought to herself "It'd be awkward to end up at another school with the whole Guardian thing. Not that we couldn't just teletransport together, but…" Thinking of her friends bought another concern to Will's mind. Something she had been putting off but needed to get out of the way…

WWWWWWW

Meridian. In answer to Will's request, the Guardians had all gathered at Elyon's palace. Only Will herself had not yet arrived, though everyone else had been waiting for nearly an hour. "You did say Will was the one who wanted us here right?" Irma asked.

"Yeah." Taranee confirmed.

"Oh, it's not really that big a surprise is it?" Cornelia wondered. "You know Will, she'd lose track of whole days if her alarm clock didn't go off even when she's told it not to."

"Ordinarily I'd agree. But she's usually better when it comes to Guardian business." Taranee said.

"Are you worried?" Cassidy asked.

"I'm getting there." Elyon said, and the others agreed.

Just as the group was about to decide to go looking for their leader, a fold opened and Will stepped through. "Sorry I'm late."

"You trying for fashionably late?" Irma asked.

"I said sorry Irma."

"Okay okay… What's up?"

Will took a deep breath. "Okay, there's something I should have told you guys about a few months ago, but I was hoping maybe it wouldn't be necessary. First, you remember how bummed out I was during the whole Dominator incident?"

"I remember you just seemed to get over it one day." Hay Lin said.

"Yeah." Will agreed. "What I was upset over was how many people were finding out about us. I was worried that maybe everyone in the whole world would find out. Then, the night after Mom and Dean's wedding, I had this dream. Only it wasn't just a dream. I kind of met Xan Jin."

"The Nymph?" Cassidy asked, intrigued.

"Yeah." Will confirmed.

"Wait hold on. She's dead." Cornelia said.

"I think Cassidy can attest that that's not an absolute barrier." Miranda argued.

"Right. She said something about how her life force was tied to the Heart, so as long as the Heart exists she's still kind of alive." Will explained. "Though I guess she usually just sleeps. Since I'm the Keeper, my worrying woke her up for a bit."

"That's different…" Taranee said. "What did she tell you that calmed you down?"

"It's not what she told me. It's what she showed me: The best possible future, twenty years from now."

Everyone was surprised by that revelation. "What was it like?" "Did you see me?" "Is everyone still okay in twenty years?" "Forget that, I want future lottery numbers…" The questions and comments filled the room until Will waved for everyone to be quiet.

"I didn't see that much." Will said, "And only me and one other person we know. What matters is, what Xan Jin showed me was a possible future, not one that's guaranteed. One other thing I saw was the older me getting a video phone call from a younger brother. He looked about nineteen."

"In that case, if it's going to happen he's gotta be coming pretty soon." Alchemy said.

"Oh yeah." Will said. "I found out today mom's pregnant."

"Wow, congratulate her for me!" Cassidy said.

"We'll all congratulate her with a shower." Cornelia said.

"This is all well and good…" Miranda said, "But if the future you saw was good, why are you worried about something that says we're going in the right direction?"

"Good question. What's the catch Will?" Taranee asked.

"The catch is the last thing Xan Jin told me before I woke up… She's not the only supposedly dead Kandrakarian still around."

"Who else could there be?" Irma asked.

Will answered "The Emperor."

"No, that can't be right Will." Cassidy said. "Remember, Halinoor told us about how he died. He was sucked up into that magical black-hole-thing he accidentally created trying to take the Heart back."

"Black holes are one-way trips." Taranee agreed.

"All I know is what I was told. Xan Jin said 'Though dead he yet lives, in a sense, immortal and powerful.' Those were her exact words." Will paused for a moment then added "She said that even now he still considers the Heart his property, and that in some of the possible futures he comes after it. She said he's majorly powerful."

"If this guy is still around, we could have a big problem on our hands." Irma said.

"This is true." Cassidy agreed. "Given his status as the Emperor, the father of Xan Jin… Will, this is someone who might actually be able to forcibly take the Heart away from you."

"Which is all fine, but I'm still doubtful." Taranee said. "No matter how strong this Emperor guy is, he still got pulled into something even Queen Neera never had a chance against. I just don't see any way he could've survived."

"But maybe he didn't 'survive' in the strictest sense." Miranda said. "Will said that the Nymph described him as 'dead but in a sense alive.' Maybe we're talking about some kind of undead entity."

"Zombie Emperor?" Elyon sighed. "That sounds more like a bad horror film than anything that even we would expect to run into."

"And it still begs the question of how he would've escaped a singularity." Taranee insisted.

"I think we should take this to Kandrakar." Cassidy said. "Whether it makes sense or not the council needs to know… And maybe they'll have an explanation for how it's even possible, if it is."

Everyone agreed that this was the best solution, and Will opened a fold to the Fortress…

WWWWWWW

Kandrakar. The Guardians emerged into the main northern corridor of the Fortress of Infinity, a long, arcing hallway thirty feet wide and forty feet high, flanked along both sides by great stone columns that rose to a vaulted ceiling. The hall appeared to be unoccupied other than the Guardians themselves, but as they moved together towards the council chamber a voice called out from behind.

"Zach!" Alchemy replied, waving to the boy approaching them.

"Howdy ladies!" the boy said. "Is this a social visit? I sure hope so, it gets boring living here alone."

"You're not alone, the whole council lives here silly." Alchemy replied.

"Stodgy old people."

"Now hey!" Cassidy exclaimed.

"No offense!" Zach said, holding up his hands. "I like older people, they're just usually not much fun to hang out with."

Alchemy shook her head. "Look, tell you what. Once our business is over I'll take you someplace for dinner on Earth, how's that sound?"

"Now you're talkin!" Zach answered.

With the boy placated, the girls continued into the council chamber. "Greetings." Himerish said as he saw them approaching. "I pray you come with good tidings."

"Maybe, maybe not." Will answered. "There's something I need to tell you, and we have some questions about the old Emperor of Kandrakar."

Himerish nodded. "I should summon the council. Please wait."

WWWWWWW

A few minutes later and everyone was gathered together. Himerish motioned to Will, who repeated her tale for the benefit of the council. After she was finished, she said "So, you can see why I'm worried. This Emperor guy sounds like a major threat, and if the future is going the way Xan Jin said…"

"Yes." Himerish agreed. "Cassidy's fear is valid. The Emperor could indeed take the Heart against the Keeper's will."

"We'd be powerless…" Cornelia said.

"Not entirely." Luba argued. "Miranda's power could still empower you apart from the Heart's presence."

Halinoor said "And, it is not as if the Emperor could simply reach out a hand and the Heart would fly to him. He would need to physically grasp it in order to take it."

"And it is at least possible that with enough, well, will, Will could take the Heart back from him." Himerish said.

"But what about the fact that the man is dead?" Taranee asked. "He was pulled into a singularity. How do you come back from that?"

"Physically you don't." Halinoor said.

Luba added "But a spirit, a soul, could conceivably escape. And if the Emperor was sufficiently… twisted… by the dark magics he used, it just might be possible for him to manifest a new form once he was free."

"Of course this is almost academic." Himerish said. "After all, it has been tens of thousands of years. It is hard to believe, given the Emperor's obsession with the Heart, that he would have waited this long to strike."

"But the warning…" Will said.

Irma said "Maybe that's what he meant by 'almost' academic."

"Precisely correct." Himerish answered.

"So then, what do we do?" Hay Lin asked.

"Yeah, is there any way of setting up, like, an early warning system or something?" Cornelia asked.

"An intriguing suggestion." Luba said.

"And possibly doable." Halinoor said. "If he is still about, the Emperor would have to qualify as an undead creature. There are ways of tracking that type of un-naturalness."

"Then you'll do it?" Will asked. "It'll be a relief to not have to worry too much over this."

Himerish nodded. "We will begin preparing at once. Meantime, remain vigilant but enjoy your lives."

WWWWWWW

Back in the north hall, the Guardians found Zach waiting. Alchemy ran ahead to join him leaving the other girls behind. "Is there something going on between them?" Cornelia asked.

"Sure looks that way." Irma agreed. "But, really, Alchemy and Zach?"

"I know what you mean. Matter and antimatter are less opposites than those two." Taranee said.

Cornelia agreed, but then narrowed her eyes and asked "What do we really know about this guy?"

Cassidy laughed. "I seriously doubt the Oracle would have let him live here if he were a threat."

"That's true." Hay Lin said.

Alchemy and Zach walked back to where the other girls were waiting, and Will opened a fold. As it happened, the last two to go through were Irma and Will. The former turned to the latter and said "Does it say anything about us that a nice guy like Zach caused more worry in Corny than the possibility of a ten thousand year old zombie sneaking around?"

Will laughed. "If it does, I'm sure I don't wanna know the details…

WWWWWWW

Next up: Summer Break Four: "Parent/Council Day"


End file.
